Aromatic sulfone polymers [such as polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), polyethersulfone (PESU) and bisphenol A polysulfone (PSU)] have been widely used in applications where their outstanding properties have been valued. These properties include dimensional stability, low coefficient of thermal expansion, retention of modulus at high temperature, radiation resistance, hydrolytic stability and tough mechanical properties. Such applications include articles as various as plumbing, commercial aircraft interiors, cookware, wire insulation and food service articles. For instance, polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) is a commonly used polymer in applications such as plumbing, medical and aerospace applications.
On the other side, polyarylethereketones such as PEEK are one of the highest performing semi-crystalline thermoplastics available today featuring notably chemical resistance, excellent strength and superior fatigue resistance.
Certain PEEK-polyphenylsulfone blends offer a good and unique combination of properties and have been valued for years in specific end uses in particular in plumbing end-use applications such as fittings, tubes, manifolds etc.
However, even if the overall properties of those blends are exceptional, some failures have been detected when one assembles the fittings and tubes made of those blends: they sometime break when they are submitted to harsh stress conditions. There remains thus a need to improve the elongation at break and impact resistance of these materials to avoid the above mentioned issue.